National League Knock-Out Cup Buxton Hitmen 68 Rye House Cobras 22 (Aggregate 112-72)THE COBRAS were knocked out of the cup on Sunday following the second leg of their clash with Buxton.

National League Knock-Out Cup

Buxton Hitmen 68 Rye House Cobras 22

(Aggregate 112-72)

THE COBRAS were knocked out of the cup on Sunday following the second leg of their clash with Buxton.

The Hitmen shot down the Rye House outfit 68-22 to reach the next round.

Few neutrals expected the Kart Raceway Cobras' slender six point advantage to be enough for the second leg.

And so it proved as they were handed an early discharge from the National League Knock-Out Cup up in the Peak District. The Cobras were simply no match for both a strong Buxton outfit and a tight, over-grippy circuit that also did them no favours.

Danny Halsey did his best to stem the tide with four battling second places, while 15- year-old Ben Morley did well to finish ahead of Lewis Dalloway in heat five.

The match was a personal nightmare, though, for Rob Smith, who fell in three of his four races and was excluded for exceeding the two minute allowance in the other.

After holding the score to 20-10 at heat five, the Cobras were ultimately on the wrong end of no less than nine Buxton 5-1s and five 4-2s.

Three Hitmen - Jade Mudgway, Scott James and Craig Cook - went through the card, while Smethills and Danny Hodgson were beaten just the once, each by Halsey.

Throw in the visitors' difficulties with the circuit and it all added up to make the longest day of the year just that for the Cobras.

Buxton scorers: Lee Smethills 10 (4 rides), Danny Hodgson 7+3 (4), Jade Mudgway 11+1 (4 rides, maximum), Gareth Isherwood 6+1 (4), Scott James 10+2 (4 rides, maximum), Craig Cook 14+1 (5 rides, maximum), Lewis Dalloway 10+1 (5)

Rye House scorers: Daniel Halsey 8 (5 rides), Daniel Blake 1 (4), Jamie Courtney 5 (4), Trevor Heath 1+1 (4), Rob Smith 0 (4), Lee Strudwick 1 (5), Ben Morley 6 (6)